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#DigitalSkeptic's Guide to Black Friday Tech for the Investor

Written by: Jonathan Blum11/26/13 - 8:00 AM EST

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Investors should plan on a bit of extra holiday joy this year. From what I'm seeing of the year's crop of consumer electronics and services, this will be the season for not only opening presents, but opening portfolios too.

"You got me as to why," said Ernie Garcia, president of Carvana, a fascinating Atlanta online service that streamlines the buying and selling of -- of all things -- used cars. "I didn't time building this company to be part of a wave of new ideas. But here we are. It's exciting."

More important is that the upside in consumer tech is very much not limited to the obvious consumer products such as, say, Microsoft's Xbox One or Sony's PlayStation 4; what's downright exciting this holiday season is the potential lurking in smaller companies and trends.

Of course, this is still the Information Age, so most of even the best ideas end in tears. But this skeptic is saying that somewhere in the following five picks of companies, products and trends is something not only worth considering at Amazon, Wal-Mart or the Apple Store, but for getting into your financial holdings as well. And in these dark days, that is more than enough to give thanks for.